Our Trip to St. Louis

Gateway Arch viewed while laying on ground below

Thanks to the generosity of the St. Louis CVC my family spent 2 1/2 days in a city I probably wouldn't have ever thought to visit. And now... We anticipate our next trip! I was, honestly, amazed at all St. Louis had to offer- and much of the great stuff is free!

I am always amazed when I visit a city with majestic landmarks that the "natives" can be so nonchalant about them. I suppose it comes from viewing them continuously... I was not prepared for the absolute awe the Gateway Arch inspired in me. I could have laid on the grass below it and watched the clouds blow by all day. Nor did I realize that there is an amazing museum below the arch.

The free activities around St. Louis are incredible. The St. Louis zoo is absolutely amazing and it sits in the most beautiful parkland. Both the Anheuser-Busch brewery and Grant's Farm have free admission and the new City Garden is great fun for the family.

While we did visit the Magic House we didn't spend as much time there as the girls would have liked and we didn't make it to the City Museum.

Over the next couple of weeks I'll be taking you on a tour of our St. Louis exploration. Here's what I'll be sharing:

The Magic House
The St. Louis Zoo and Forest Park
Anheuser-Busch Brewery & Grant's Farm
The Gateway Arch, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and the Gateway Arch Riverfront
Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch
City Garden
What we ate in St. Louis

To plan your our St. Louis adventure visit ExploreStLouis.com or the Explore St. Louis Facebook page.

Full disclosure: While we are paying for our gas money to get to St. Louis and back all of the expenses we incur while there will be covered by the CVC. While the CVC is sponsoring our trip all the decisions and thoughts about where we go, what we do, see, eat, etc. will be my own. Please see my disclosure policy for more specific information.

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Planning a Trip With Your Baby?

When I began Have Kid Will Travel I had to search high and low for really great products for traveling with the girls. Now you don’t have to go far to find baby travel gear. Which I think is really cool- there is a market for it which means people are traveling more with their kids. I was on BabySafeTravel.com earlier this week and found a few great items that I wish had been available when the girls were small: Eddie Bauer Infant Travel Bed, Baby Bjorn Carrier in PINK and Totseat to name just a few.

In addition to products BabySafeTravel.com also has hotel reviews and travel tips. It’s a handy site if you’re planning a trip with a little one.

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Win a Wisconsin Dells Vacation!

Wisconsin Dells is a huge vacation destination if you live in the Midwest! Some members of my family went last year & loved it. You can read my sister's account of their trip here. I have fond memories of my trip in the late 90's. It's just fun.

If you want to go, wonder what all the hype is about or want to return enter this great Wisconsin Dells Vacation giveaway! It's a $2000 value. One entry per household. Contest ends at 11:59 am July 1, 2009.

For more travel contests visit the Have Kid Will Travel Fun Stuff page!

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The (Revised) 2009 Travel Game Plan

There are some amazing travel deals out there right now. I saw a $249 flight/car deal from New York to Dublin yesterday and a flight/hotel deal for London for $539. If you can afford to now is certainly the time to travel.

Budget Travel (probably my favorite travel magazine) recently published their 2009 Travel Game Plan (Revised) and put it out on their website. (You may also want to check out their Real Deals if you're looking for a great vacation on-the-cheap.)

A couple of my favorite tips from the article:

Kayak, which is always one of my first stops for Travel Deals, has a new Insight tool that displayes other people's search results out of any airport you choose. You'll want to click the "more" button on the left side of the page and Insight will show under the Research header on the opening page. Click it and see what Travel Deals other people have gotten- in real time!

Layaway for travel from Gate1. You put down a deposit (from $100 to $200) and pay the rest in installments. Just be sure to read the fine print for pay-off dates- 45 days prior to land vacations and 4 months prior to cruises.

Check out the rest of the article for other travel ideas and deals.

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Why You Should Take a Carry On When You Fly

My mom came out to visit us this past weekend. She had no problems on her way out and, no, her bags weren't lost.

On her way home to Iowa, however, she was bumped. Her flight from Chicago to Des Moines was overbooked. And so was the later one. She wasn't able to get on a flight until the following morning. The airline gave her a check for her inconvenience and paid for her hotel and food for an evening. Which was all well and good. But they didn't pull her bag from the flight. In fact, they didn't even offer to.

So there she was, in Chicago, with nothing but her purse. Even a small carry on would have been better than nothing. Here's my list of carry on necessities (and don't forget the 3-1-1 rule):

For me:

• Cleansing cloths
• Moisturizer, foundation (I use old contact lense cases for this stuff. Each side holds one useage, easily staying under the 3oz rule and saving precious room in my baggie)
• Travel size toothpaste & toothbrush
• My contact solutions, case and glasses
• Chapstick
• Makeup
• Comb and headband
• Change of clothing
  
• Deodorant

For Doug:

• Deodorant
• Toothbrush (I have the toothpaste)
• Change of clothing

For the kids:

• Two changes of clothing - one very comfortable for sleeping in if need be (besides, accidents happen)
• Small toys, games & our activity bags
• Snacks
• Travel size toothpaste & toothbrushes
• Travel size moisturizer (they have sensitive skin)
• Baby wipes (101 uses)
  

Getting bumped rarely happens to families but with airlines cutting flights and selling out all the space on the planes that do take off it's best to be prepared.

The Aviation Consumer Protection Division publishes the Consumer Guide to Air Travel. It's a nice resource if you have any questions. (Just and FYI: you really don't have that many rights.)

If you are traveling sans kids and don't mind getting bumped National Geographic blog has a nice article titled Make the Most of Getting Bumped.

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An Atlas Just for Your Backseat Driver

As we made our way across half the country Brenna would ask, quite often, to see our road atlas. We would do our best to show her where we were, where we planned to drive and anything we thought might interest her. She listened intently and did her best to follow along.

But our map is made for adults. It's big, rather unwieldy and, honestly, isn't very interesting. it wasn't until after we arrived that I found the Rand Mcnally Kids' Road Atlas, which I snatched up for our drive home.

This book begins with two pages on using an atlas; including the legend, scale and coordinates to find locations on a map. And it's done in a way that makes it seem like fun, not (gasp!) learning.

Next is a US map with the interstate system and our largest lakes & rivers. Not as many squiggly lines as on our big atlas. And beside that is more learning! This time state abbreviations, with hints on how to figure them out using the atlas.

Then it's on to the states. Each state has a page showing larger cities and main roads, the state tree, flower and bird, and a game of some sort (more learning!).

Canada and Mexico are also included, as is an index; just like in a "real" atlas.

Brenna may be a bit young for the puzzles and games, but she enjoys having her own atlas. She'll grow into it.

Rand McNally has an entire line of maps and books for kids of all ages. I highly recommend the Kids' Road Atlas and I will be looking into the others as the girls get older and we continue our travels.

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Free Weekend Day Car Rental from Hertz

Straight from the Hertz website:

Now through March 31, 2009, you can enjoy one free weekend day, when PC#127595 is included in your reservation of Economy through Full-size class cars. Only one redemption per month is permitted.

With this deal you could technically get two free days: one in February and one in March.

Of course this doesn't include SUVs or minivans... But it's still a great deal!

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Moooove Over Trixie, There's a New Trunki in Town

Brenna was understandably saddened when I told her, multiple times, that Trixie Trunki belonged to her sister. Not only is Trixie a wonderful traveling companion but she is a great plaything at home. From riding around the living room to "playing travel" Trixie is usually kept very busy.

Luckily there was a friend waiting for Brenna on Christmas morning... Take a minute to watch the video, it's really sweet...

OK, so you can't see just how cute she is...
‘Freida” is a Friesian cow print limited edition Trunki, only grazing in the fields for 2008. I got her from Family Travel Gear, one of my recommended travel resources. She sells for $55.95 while supplies last. Here's a better photo:

Isn't she adorable?


Frieda is a Trunki Deluxe which includes a carry handle in addition to the shoulder/pull strap, a teddy bear seatbelt to strap in toys and clothing, locking latches with key conveniently attached to the strap and an internal pouch to keep those little things in one place. Frieda also has those two "hidden" spots for tiny treats and the Trunki Passport which opens up a whole new world at the Trunki website.

Trunki Deluxe photo courtesy of Family Travel Gear

Frieda has the same specs as the other Trunki's:

# Holds up to 5 gallons of travel essentials

# Weight is only 3.55 lbs.

# Shipping Box Dimensions: 18.25"L X 8.25"W x 12.75"H

# Carry's up to 110lbs.

# Constructed of 100% polypropelene

# Suitable for children from the ages of 3 to 6 years old (Our youngest is almost 2 1/2 and she loves it, too!)

# Four-wheeled

# Built in stabilizers and secure catches

Frieda is a most welcome- and loved!- addition to our travel family.

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Kids Sail Free on Most 3 Night Disney Cruises

If you were thinking about booking a Disney cruise this may be the time to do it. Kids age 12 and under can sail free on most 3-night cruises from January 22 to May 28, 2009, when traveling with two full-fare Guests in the same stateroom.

Of course there are rules and restrictions:
* Offer applies to new bookings only
* Offer applies to stateroom categories 4-12 only
* The number of staterooms allocated for this offer is limited
* Other offers, discounts or onboard credits do not apply
* See Disney Cruise Line® brochure for details and applicable terms and conditions

For more information, rules and charges (like government taxes and fees) visit Disney Cruise Lines. Cruises can be booked online, by phone or through your travel agent.

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More Schmappin'

Schamp just chose another of my photos- this time for their Killarney edition.

I'm in their Cork edition, too.

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Small Town Festivals

With all the traveling we do to destinations far and wide it can be easy for us to forget the great fun that can be found locally. Because fall brings the return of school, sports and semi-hibernation this is a great time to look around your area to find small town festivals.

The best thing about small town festivals- at least in the kids eyes- is the parade. Not only are the parades filled with fun characters you won't usually find in larger parades...

There is usually a lot of candy being thrown!

The last fall festival we attended (in Dexter, Iowa, population 689 at the last census) had a kiddie parade, cow chip tossing (this may be an Iowa thing...), pedal tractor pulls, a community BBQ, a community movie in the park, a street dance... and more that we didn't get to.

Small festivals have a wonderful way of making you slow down, relax and just enjoy where you live.

The best way to find these little gems is to check your state's tourism website. I just type in the state name and "tourism". Or use this website and pick your state. Most pages either have an events calendar on the home page or an events tab to take you to the calendar. Using my state's website I've found corn mazes, Renaissance festivals, Fall festivals, Corn Carnivals and other great goings on that I had no idea existed.

I've also found that typing the state's name followed by "festivals" or "events" and a date range will yield some results. This is hit or miss as many of these gatherings may be too small to have a website.

So the next time you think "There's nothing to do around here" try searching your state. I bet you'll find something you've never done before in a place you thought you knew.

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Have You Tried Schmap?

I hadn't, either, until they contacted me about using one of my photos in their guide.

How do I describe Schmap? To simplify it quite a lot it is an interactive map with real time access to photos and reviews for places across the globe. You can use it on your computer or, if you're really set up, you can use it on your iPhone.

You can also publish your own Schmap and fill it with any information you want. And it's free.

Schmap even has great widgets. Here's the one that includes my photo:

It's really a neat little tool for travel... Or anything else.

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When to Travel

In my opinion when you travel has as much bearing on your vacation as where you travel to. Here in the US the "big" season to travel is June-July-August, when the kids are out of school. That is also when prices are highest, popular locations are at a premium and crowds are heaviest.

We typically travel during low or shoulder season. At the moment we don't have school schedules to contend with but I can honestly say that we won't hesitate to pull the girls out of school to take them somewhere (we will, of course, make sure they aren't missing anything important that can't be made up).

As an example: We will be in Ireland the first week of March. Technically this is low season; "shoulder season", between high & low season" begins the end of March through early May. However, March is one of the driest months of the year and the temperatures are typically in the mid-40's (much warmer than they are here!)

I found an article of tips for shoulder season travelby Tim Leffel, MSNBC's travel columnist. (I have added hyper links and my additional thoughts are italicized)

1. Most guidebooks and country-specific Web sites have a "When to Go" section that describes the ideal time to visit an area, as well as the worst time. Between those two seasons, you'll get the best bang for your travel buck. Be sure to do your research, though. You don't want to arrive and find that places you wanted to see and amusements you wanted to enjoy are closed for the season.

2. Airfare prediction sites (such as FareCompare.com and Farecast.com) can give you a rough idea of how flight prices fluctuate and will also show you the best deals from your own airport in any given month.

3. Most rental homes and villas clearly list prices by season. Just moving your planned vacation two weeks in one direction or another can save you a bundle. Moving it a month or two can cut the price in half.

4. Travel sites that move unsold inventory can present fantastic shoulder-season deals when hotels struggle to fill rooms. Try Hotwire.com, Priceline.com and SkyAuction.com — or just pick a place and call direct to start bargaining. If it's a last-minute trip, try LastMinuteTravel.com to get a cheap package deal. A site that I have used and had a great trip with is GoToday.com. And don't overlook a good travel agent. My agent has found better deals for me 9 times out of 10 than I found online.

5. Consider where the crowds are going, then plot a different course. You can ski in Chile or Argentina in July, for instance, or visit the tulip fields of Holland or the green hills of Ireland in the spring — before much-higher summer airfares kick in. Spend the busy summer break in a U.S. destination that's off the tourist radar, or in a lesser-known part of a nearby country like Canada, Mexico or Guatemala. Or, take an African safari — June to August is actually the shoulder season in Kenya and Tanzania.

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A Great Site for Travelers

I am a list maker. I have travel lists in my computer: things to check, things to ship, things to carry on, things to keep handy if we drive...

While I was clicking around trying to help my sister prepare for her upcoming vacation I found this great site: IndependentTraveler.com.

I was most impressed with their Packing & Accessories page. They have a great interactive packing list and carry-on compliance listings. Their packing tips are handy, too, if you're not a regular traveler.

They even have a nice bit about family vacation planning.

It's a handy website to have in your favorites.

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